


nott the beautiful

by Monroeroe



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, Genderfluid Mollymauk, I miss Molly, Nott deserves the world, friendship fluff, hupperdook shenanigans, kind of fudging the timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 07:07:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17976686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monroeroe/pseuds/Monroeroe
Summary: Molly likes to leave places better than he found them; the same applies to people and he thinks a certain goblin deserves it.Molly/Nott friendship





	nott the beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> I think Nott deserves the world and Molly would be the one to give it to her. I wrote this during break at work in my notes. At one point I meant to type it on a computer and that never happened.

A sudden heavy pulse behind his eyes forced him back as he teetered on the verge of sleep. A hiss of Infernal slipped between his lips and he curled further into himself, eyes shut tight as he pressed his fingers to his temples. He was vaguely aware of Fjord’s heavy snoring and the light taps of footfall outside the door.

He slowed his breathing and tried to swallow down whatever bit of bile was left in his cramped stomach. However, his concentration was broken by those same footfalls creeping back. He paused, eyes still closed, and just listened past the half-orc drowning in his own spit. They—she was pacing he realized when he caught the little goblin girl muttering to herself along the whole expanse of the hallway. He shrugged and was on the verge of getting comfortable again when a stomp and wet curse jolted him up again, much to the displeasure of his poor temples.

He considered leaving well enough alone and maybe bothering her in the morning, but a soft thump and drag against the wall was quick to change his mind. Molly glanced out the window and figured it was about two or three in the morning, a fitting time for deep conversations. He took a few deep breaths and urged his body upright despite it protesting profusely. He managed to catch himself from tripping over his haphazardly thrown belongings, his tail acting as a fulcrum to keep himself from face-planting.

His hand hovered over the doorknob as he pressed his ear against the door. Nott sniffled some, but was otherwise quiet. He gently pulled it open to not startle her and peaked his head out, using the frame for support. The lights were turned down to a soft, dim orange. She flinched some as she looked up with her big eyes, glassy and wet. Her mask was clenched tightly in her fingers, her knuckles a lighter shade of green noticeable even in the faint light. She took a quick swipe to her cheeks with her ragged sleeves and avoiding Molly’s gaze by staring at the floor ahead of her.

She licked her lips before murmuring, “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to wake you.”

He shrugged and then realized his body was mostly obscured by the frame. “Honestly, you weren’t the worst of it.”

She kept her eyes low, but they’d sweep in his direction impatiently every few seconds. She bit her lip and made to stand. “I should make sure Caleb’s alright—“

“I’m sure he’s fine,” he sighed, nonchalant but a little forceful. “Jester put him to bed, so he should be better than the lot of us.”

He forced himself to leave the room and close the door behind him, pressing against it for leverage as he slid down to be closer to her level. She looked him over hesitantly, not quite hostile, but he knew she could turn quite quickly. He tilted his head back, his horns faintly bumping the wood. He sat like that for a minute, eyes half lidded and only vaguely aware of the pressure at the base of his skull.

She curled a little, bringing her knees to her chest and looking impossibly small. He almost didn’t catch her whisper, “How are you okay looking like that?”

He cocked his head and stated simply, “By not giving a shit what anybody thinks.”

She finally turned to look him in the eye and he wasn’t entirely sure what he saw there. Her features churned in anguish, but her eyes shone in desperation and near revelry. She shook her head in disbelief and he was almost afraid of her breaking the mask in her hands and possibly hurting herself. 

Instead, she let her body fall and let out a bitter laugh. “I wish it was that easy.”

“And why isn’t it?” He crossed his arms over his chest as he peered at her out of the corner of his eye.

She swallowed thickly and her cheeks darkened into an admittedly lovely shade of forest green. “I’ve... I’ve never been beautiful by anyone’s standards... and tonight... at the fireworks stand...”

She gestured to her... all of her and he furrowed his brow, about to speak, but she beat him to it as she stood suddenly. “We should sleep.”

He made a motion to protest, but the sudden give in the back of his throat made him lurch forward. As the wave of nausea passed through him, he heard Nott scuttle away and close the door behind her.

 

—————————————————————

 

Despite the cacophony and bustle of the next couple days, Nott purposefully avoided any one-on-one interactions with the tiefling and he really didn’t blame her. He hadn’t wanted to settle any emotional turmoil while nursing a raging hangover. Being robbed blind and fighting a magical automaton had been a pretty decent distraction for the both of them. Now they stood beneath the fluorescent bursts of fireworks as Kiri quietly closed the door behind her.

Jester’s shoulders shook as she let out a heavy, wet sigh and Molly was the first to reach for her. “Hey, now, none of that. We should be celebrating!”

She looked up with a too-precious pout and dropped her head onto his shoulder, angling to not get caught in each other’s jewelry. “I know, but...”

“We are alive, ja?” Caleb offered, albeit with an uneven tone, “and Kiri is in a good home.”

Molly squeezed her shoulder with a gentle shake. “Let’s get a little glammed up on our last night here, eh?”

Despite her flushed and puffy cheeks, a small, playful smile was brightening her eyes. “Okay. Just don’t get super drunk this time!”

Fjord groaned, his ears dipping a little. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

As they wandered back in the direction of the Blushing Tankard Tavern, Molly caught the back of Nott’s hood. She must have been expecting it because she didn’t even flinch. Her eyes steadily met his, but they wavered wearily.

“Can I do your makeup?”

Of all the questions she was waiting for, that was definitely not one of them. The edges of her mask burned that darling dark green and she struggled to find any words, the slight bouncing of the mask a giveaway to her gaping.

Jester, Molly’s arm still draped around her, squealed in delight with an extra bounce in her step. “Oh! Yes, please, and can I do your hair, Nott? I wanna put it up in pretty braids and put flowers in it—!”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, schatz.” Caleb smiled, a small awkward thing that the tiefling found endearing. “You deserve a little pampering every once in a while.”

She hesitated, her fingers skittishly finding for something to tinker with. “I... I guess...”

Jester pulled away excitedly to pluck Nott up, the goblin shrieking indignantly as she was tossed about. Her protests went unnoticed as Jester made her way to the tavern with her on her shoulders singing and bouncing along.

The bar was already bustling with most booths taken with rowdy patrons. Irena was up and about, impressively brandishing multiple tankards in her grasp as she flounced between the tables. While a stocky and broad woman, she was delicate on her feet, easily sidestepping any drunken scenes. The opening of the doors must have caught her attention because she glanced over and pursed her deep cherry lips.

“Oh, you lot look like shite. Looks like you’ll need one or—“ she raised the tankards in her hand with a chuckle— “a few of these.”

“That is most certainly the plan, dear,” Molly laughed with a wink, “but we’ve got some sprucing up to do first.”

She nodded in acknowledgment, dipping in a flourished curtsy, her eyes running appreciatively over Fjord before going back to hustling. Fjord’s cheeks flushed and he pressed his arms against himself, fingers gripping his pants tightly.

Beau snickered behind her fist, “Fuck your brains out.”

“I’m, uh—I’m gonna... I need a drink,” Fjord murmured, keeping his eyes trained on the bar.

“Oh, uh, I’ll join you,” Caleb said.

Fjord suddenly pulled him in by the shoulders, surprising the wizard, but then groaned in his ear, “Thank god. Please don’t leave me alone with her.”

As they disappeared amongst the crowd, Jester bounded upstairs with Molly and Beau at her heels. Even in her excitement, she was careful to maneuver around with Nott on her shoulders. She shuffled into their room a few doors down from Molly’s.

He waved a brisk hand. “I’ll meet you in there. I’ve gotta grab some supplies beforehand.”

He briefly caught Beau’s gesture of acknowledgement before he was in his room and rifling through his bags. He found it quickly, pressed back with his tarot, a vibrant royal blue velvet pouch he embroidered to match his coat. He thumbed through it looking for specific colors, but with a soft, “Fuck it,” just hauled the whole bag into the next room.

Beau laid on one of the beds with her head dangling off, so any loose strands of hair fell away from her face. When she craned her neck to look at Molly, the angle felt entirely unnatural and he suppressed a violent shiver. Instead he let the disgust show on his face and stuck out his tongue. Disregarding any response she made, he just sat at the foot of the bed Jester had Nott perched on. She kept her eyes low, completely flustered by being the center of attention. Jester didn’t seem to notice as her fingers deftly pulled and braided Nott’s hair into an intricate crown that twisted around into a sort of floral arrangement.

 Molly let out an appreciative whistle. “Where’d you learn how to do that?”

 She rolled her shoulders nonchalantly, but there was a bit of longing in her tone. “Sometimes I’d help my mama do her hair before a performance. She has lots of hair.”

 He hummed as he turned the pouch over and spilled its contents at his side. He carefully separated his lip colors from his eyeliners and rouges. He was meticulous in how he arranged them by color, eyes periodically glancing up at Nott’s face and her skin tone. She fidgeted under his unwavering gaze and was uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole ordeal.

 He slipped his boots off as carefully as one can one-handed and scooted forward, crossing his legs to get a better view of her face. He wanted her to be comfortable, so he was slow and languid in his movements, making sure to keep his hands in her line of sight at all times. He reached for a palette of vibrant powders and she quirked a brow at him.

“Those are fucking bright.”

 He sighed, but patiently asked, “Do you trust me?”

She narrowed her eyes, which was a normally frightening sight, but the halo sort of took away from her intimidation. “Are you of all people really asking me that question?”

“While that is a valid point,” he chuckled, “I promise I’m not going to do anything outrageous.”

 She blinked at him once, then twice, gnawing on the inside of her cheek. “...Okay...” 

“Now close your eyes—How else am I going to paint your eyelids?” he barked in good-nature when she pressed back into Jester, but slowly let herself sit forward again. “Now this might tickle a bit.”

She pressed her lips tightly as he dabbled the inner corners of her eyes pearlescent blue and blended with a darker azure and vibrant, tropical green.

 “Now look up for me, dear.”

“Why?” 

“I’m going to be putting some color underneath.” He pulled out a finely tipped brush. “I’m not going to poke you in the eye.”

 She took a substantial swig from her flask and he caught the subtle burn of whiskey as she let out a deep sigh. “Okay.”

Where the green ended in the corner he met with a flush of orange just along her eyelashes. Every once in a while she’d instinctually crane her head back and Molly had to coax her forward again. He brushed a little bit of candied pink the rest of the way, connecting the orange and pearlescent blue.

 He held up a finger. “Close your eyes for me just one more time.”

With a sharpened piece of black kohl, he outlined her top lid into a small point. He dabbed his finger into a shadow that closely resembled her natural blush and lightly powdered her cheeks; he had to admit it didn’t do her natural shade justice, but it was the effect he wanted.

“One last thing,” he murmured as he picked a clear vial. “This is gonna sound weird, but smile a little for me.”

She sort of rolled her eyes, clearly a little fed up with how ridiculous it sounded, but obeyed while being mindful of her teeth. With light brush stokes, he applied the gloss, just giving her lips a plump shimmer.

“There!”

Jester gasped and squealed, “Nott! You are so beautiful!”

“R-really?” she ventured, her hands hovering over her face.

Molly fished out a compact mirror from his bag and opened it to her. She gingerly took it and just stared...and stared... He shifted uncomfortably, worry creasing his brow. Jester was just finishing pinning the braided flower in place when Nott’s eyes began to water.

 Molly lurched forward, hands up and unsure what to do. “Ah—Do you not like it or—?”

 “No... I love it...” She looked up and blinked back the tears. “Thank you, Mollymauk.”

His shoulders sagged in relief and he chuckled wearily, “Anytime.”

A sharp elbow to his arm made him wince as he looked up to see Beau nodding appreciatively. “Not bad, Tealeaf.”

 He grinned up at her, fangs a little more prominent as he made a flourish to put his hand on his chest. “I try.”

Nott was absolutely mesmerized by her own reflection. She kept turning and tilting her head to see herself from every angle. Every once in a while she would glance uncertainly at her mask.

“You can take that with you and if at any point you feel uncomfortable, you can put it on.” Molly reached for her hands and was a little surprised by her letting him clasp them gently. “No matter what you look like, you’re allowed to have a good time. 

She took a small gulp from her flask and he couldn’t help smirk when he noticed her being careful to not touch her lips. “I... Okay.”

Jester’s arms wrapped around her middle and she hugged her tight. “We should do this more often!” 

Nott smiled a little. “I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”

She glanced down at her dark, ragged clothes and frowned. “These don’t go at all...”

Without looking over, Molly, already applying a shimmering powder to his cheekbones, suggested, “Why not use Disguise Self? I know it only lasts an hour, but it’ll be a hell of an hour.”

Shrugging off her cloak, she climbed off the bed and sort of twirled her hips as she thought. “Why the fuck not?”

With a twist and flare that he couldn’t help but find adorable, Nott’s drab clothes were replaced by a dress similar to Jester’s. The blouse was a worn cream with puffed up sleeves that hung off her shoulders. The skirt, rising above her hips and resting just below her bust, was the same shade as the pearlescent blue on her eyes and there were fields of flowers embroidered around the hem in various shades of pinks and oranges. She wore little brown ankle boots and pale yellow stockings.

She looked up at them with a bit of trepidation, but there was a yearning for something in them. “So...what do you guys think?”

There was a solid ten seconds of silence before Jester bounced up in a flurry of blue and pink to lift her up and spin around. “You are the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!”

Nott cracked a wide grin, their laughter mingling as she waved her arms around. Molly was taken back by how softly Beau was smiling at the scene. When they made eye contact, he wiggled his brow at her with a playful smirk and she quickly frowned, flipping him off.

Jester put her down, kneeling as she did so, and offered, “I can hold your mask for you and if you need to, you can borrow my cloak. It’d be really pretty with your outfit.”

The goblin smiled, showing her full set of teeth that did not deter from her charm. “I would like that very much.”

Molly finished outlining his eyes in a bright gold and affixing a deep royal blue lipstick. “Let me go first.”

With a wink he was gone. Caleb and Fjord were easy enough to find in a crowd of gnomes. They had snagged the last booth closest to the stairs with Fjord facing him. The half-orc raised a brow when he saw the made-up tiefling was just shrugged it off with a swig of ale. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see Nott’s little boots making their way.

With a dramatic whooshing of his coat, he slid to the booth and extended his hands in her direction. “Now introducing... Nott the Beautiful!”

She gingerly stepped forward, her back to the rest of the bar, and stood in front of Caleb. He was used to seeing the wizard at a loss for words, but this was different. His eyes were brilliant and eagerly soaking up the image of her. His cheeks flushed, clashing with his hair, but bringing out whatever freckles he had left from his summers tan. What struck Molly, however, was that he was absolutely beaming, practically grinning from ear to ear.

“Schatz, you look amazing!” He turned his whole body, arms outstretched for her. “You are an absolute treasure.”

Her whole face was turning green, but the wide grin was still there. “You think so?”

“I know so.”

Jester came bounding down the stairs with Beau in tow. “Fjord! Fjord! Doesn’t Nott look soooo cute? Didn’t Molly do a really good job?”

To their surprise, Fjord was smiling very pleasantly a looking her up and down with a spark of pride in his eyes. “Nott, you look wonderful.”

She slapped him on the knee playfully. “Thanks...dad.”

His face immediately fell and he pinched his fingers close together. “I am...this...close to taking it back.”

She kept grinning up at him until the corners of his lips turned up. “Sure you are.”

Molly raised his arm up to catch Irena’s attention. “Can we get another round?”

“Coming right up, handsome!”

Nott was plunked right in the middle of them, Jester to her immediate right in case she needed her mask and Molly to her left joking around and occasionally tucking a loose strand of hair back in place. It was the most relaxed he had seen Nott and Caleb and he really wanted to see more.

When Irena came around with their drinks, there was a simultaneous breath held, but it was quickly released when she glanced over at Nott and smiled in surprise. “Well, don’t you look darling?”

“Th-thank you,” she hiccuped.

“Your work, I presume?” she asked Molly.

“Of course,” he answered cheekily.

She placed the fullest one in front of Nott. “For the pretty little champion.”

Nott was too preoccupied with her drink and friends to notice any wary glares and glances her way. If Molly caught one, he’d sneer and display his fangs until they had enough sense to keep to their tankards. He wanted Nott to enjoy her evening; she was having the most fun he’d seen since they had met. They all were and it made his heart swell.

There was a small grip on his pant leg. Nott was laughing at something Beau said, but her little thumb was running circles on his thigh. Keeping his attention to their company, his hand found hers, surprisingly warm and soft, and gave it a squeeze. He’d do this again in a heartbeat if it meant seeing her this happy again. Nott the Beautiful suited her as much as Brave did.


End file.
